What’s on TV this week—Fargo season 5 and Squid Game: The Challenge
Plus, a new Mike Birbiglia special, the Good Burger sequel, the Thanksgiving Day Parade, and more
TV Lists Fargo
Welcome to What’s On, our weekly picks of must-watch shows. Here’s what you need to watch from Sunday, November 19 to Thursday, November 23. All times are Eastern. [Note: The weekend edition of What’s On drops on Fridays.]
The biggies
Fargo (FX, Tuesday, 10 p.m.)
Fargo is back, baby. Noah Hawley’s darkly funny crime dramedy returns for another installment, this one starring Jon Hamm, Juno Temple, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Joe Keery, Richa Moorjani, Dave Foley, Sam Spruell, and Lamorne Morris. Set in 2019, the 10 episodes follow Temple’s Dorothy Lyon, who isn’t the sweet suburban housewife everyone thinks she is. Hamm plays a rigid sheriff on the hunt for the one that got away. The A.V. Club will recap the show weekly.
Squid Game: The Challenge (Netflix, Wednesday, 3:01 a.m.)
Squid Game: The Challenge is proof of how easy it is to learn the wrong lessons from pop culture. Filmed in the U.K., the 10-episode reality series features 456 players competing to win $4.56 million in the same types of games featured in Netflix’s fictional Squid Game series. Look for The A.V. Club’s coverage of the show this week.
Hidden gems
Mike Birbiglia: The Old Man And The Pool (Netflix, Tuesday, 3:01 a.m.)
In his fifth comedy special for Netflix, The Old Man And The Pool, comedian Mike Birbiglia juggles two of life’s most important questions: What’s next for us? And does the YMCA fill up their swimming pools with a ton of chlorine? Hey, they’re both equally hefty conundrums.
Genie (Peacock, Wednesday, 3:01 a.m.)
Directed by Sam Boyd and written by Richard Curtis, Genie is a remake of Curtis’ 1991 film, Bernard And The Genie. In it, Melissa McCarthy plays the magical Flora, who helps the workaholic Bernard (Paapa Essiedu) remember how to connect with his family. Marc Maron, Alan Cumming, Denée Benton, and Luis Guzmán co-star.
Good Burger 2 (Paramount+, Wednesday, 3:01 a.m.)
Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell reunite for Good Burger 2, the sequel to their 1997 comedy. Set 26 years later (duh), Dexter (Thompson) and Ed (Mitchell) band together at their former titular workplace for ludicrous new adventures. Jillian Bell, Lil Rel Howery, Marsai Martin, Ego Nwodim, Liza Koshy, Mark Cuban, and Carmen Electra co-star.
More good stuff
Leo (Netflix, Tuesday, 3:01 a.m.)
The animated film Leo follows a 74-year-old lizard named Leo (voiced by Adam Sandler) who’s plotting his escape from the Florida school where he’s been kept as a pet for decades. But Leo’s plans are derailed when he has to rescue his class from a horrible new teacher. The voice cast includes Cecily Strong, Bill Burr, Stephanie Hsu, Jason Alexander, Rob Schneider, and Heidi Gardner.
Hannah Waddingham: Home For Christmas (Apple TV+, Wednesday, 12:01 a.m.)
If you’re missing Ted Lasso, this holiday special might just help fill the void. Hannah Waddingham’s Home For Christmas features the actor and singer performing classic holiday favorites in front of a live audience. Expect appearances by a few of her Lasso co-stars, like Phil Dunster, Nick Mohammed, and Juno Temple.
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (NBC, Thursday, 8:30 a.m.)
Another year, another Thanksgiving, another extravagant Macy’s parade. NBC broadcasts the whole event on its linear channel as well as on Peacock. Performers for 2023 include Grammy nominee Jon Batiste, Ashley Park, En Vogue, Brandy, and Pentatonix, among others. Of course, the star of the show remains those massive floats.
Can’t miss recaps
The Gilded Age (HBO, Sunday, 9 p.m.)
A Murder At The End Of The World (FX on Hulu, Tuesday, 12:01 a.m.)
The Curse (Paramount+, Friday, 3:01 a.m.)
The Great British Bake Off (Netflix, Friday, 3:01 a.m., season finale)
Arriving now
High On The Hog (Netflix, Wednesday, 3:01 a.m., season two)
Ending soon
Fear The Walking Dead (AMC, Sunday, 9 p.m., season eight finale)
11 Comments
Squid Game: The Challenge – missing the point, and striking while the iron is cold, a good two years after the show’s popularity. Why are you guys covering this!?
Because the algorithm demands it. I mean the AVClub only covers the hottest shows on TV like the corpse of SNL, The Bachelor(old fuck edition), Less subtle social commentary Battle Royal: the game show and Old broads, having sex you don’t want to see, in the city.
For what it’s worth, that’s a very wrong link for Netflix’s High on the Hog.
The link for The Curse is to the wrong one, also. (A movie from last year.)
Christ on a bike , a US remake of Bernard and the Genie , and its a fucking Melissa McCarthy movie? Jesus fucking wept!(and no [Sir] Lenny Henry? screw that)
Are the Fargo seasons standalone stories, or a continuous storyline?
Each season is standalone!
Sweet, I caught the promo of the new Fargo season and definitely piqued my interest. Thanks.
Stand Alone more or less, though there are minor connections. For example season 2 is basically a prequel to season 1. But you do not need to watch season one at all for two. Sometimes minor characters return, often with different actors given the difference in time periods. But they can exist perfectly fine on their own. It’s more like they sometimes reference each other (and the film) in small ways that rewards people paying attention.
You missed the BEST thing on TV this week… The National Dog Show!
Yes!! Thanks for reminding me!